


Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday

by Serketchaos



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 18:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6020449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serketchaos/pseuds/Serketchaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Its funny how that is, how things are okay.</i>
</p><p>Or, in which it's Nico's birthday and he's feeling apprehensive about it because old habits die hard but after a good night, he realizes things have changed and he's on the path of being okay again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was supposed to be a birthday fic for nico. But then I missed the date and i was like okay valentines day and YOU KNOW WHAT IT ISNT TOMORROW IF I HAVENT SLEPT.

Nico has never been one for birthdays. It isn't because he's uncomfortable in groups of people, or because he's not really in love with the idea of being uncomfortable in a large group of people that are also drunk. He doesn't like birthdays because, well, they're just sort of a reminder that he shouldn't be here. 

Back in August, Percy had turned 21. A month before that Annabeth had also turned 21, and twelve days before _that_ , on July 1st, Jason had turned 20. Although, there's a little bit of an age gap between all of his friends by a couple of years and he's turning "18", he's _officially_ turning something like 92. Hazel's in the same boat as him, which should be comforting, but it isn't. Hazel isn't at all bothered about the age thing, and he tries not to think about how that's probably because she's probably just happy to be alive again. 

"Don't look so glum, Nico. We're celebrating you tonight!" Hazel says as they walk to the closest-sized apartment Percy calls home. Percy has moved out after his mom and Paul had a baby -- a small bouncing bundle of joy that did not explode toilets when she cried. Not that exploding toilets was something they expected to deal with, but Nico supposes Sally's just prepared for anything after having Percy.

All in all, Percy's baby sister is very mortal. Nico had always thought that having a demigod for a child would be the scarier option but after he'd helped Percy baby sit, he realized how wrong he was. When you know what's out there, know what kind of monsters that really do lurk in the shadows at night, its scary to know that there are people close to you that simply wouldn't be able to defend themselves.

"You could celebrate me by not throwing a party," Nico says. He stuffs his hands into his well-worn aviator jacket that he can't seem to part with, and is still too big for him.

"We could," Hazel agrees, "but then we'd miss out on getting to party."

Nico sighs. How it is that each and every single one of his friends loves to party is beyond him. Nico had once thought that because Frank liked Mythomagic he'd be sort of like him and not be too into parties, but he was wrong. Frank can party with the best of them. However, Nico thinks it would be for the best if they didn't encourage him to transform; they don't need a repeat of Christmas.

They're not far from Percy's place but Nico can already hear the music and he tries not to roll his eyes. Already it's something out of his worst nightmare. That's a lie, his nightmares aren't anything he wants to think about, but this party feels like a close second.

Hazel rings the doorbell and Annabeth answers. Her smile is bright and immediate, but she doesn't hug him. Touch is still reserved for special people only.

"He's here!" she calls into the house, and theres a chorus of his name yelled back.

Jason's first to greet him and Nico's wrapped up in a hug that threatens to crush him. "Nico!" he says, loudly by Nico's ear.

"Oof," Nico says. Jason gets the hint and puts him down. 

"What?" Hazel pipes up. "Don't I get a hug?"

Jason's face splits into a wide grin that shows off his perfect teeth and quickly scoops Hazel up into his arms. Nico uses it as a way to escape inside the house where the rest of his friends wait. It's funny how that it is, he thinks, how he calls them friends now. There was a time -- there are still times -- where he wasn't sure of his place with them, but it's been four years. They're his friends. A lot can happen in four years.

"Dude!" cries Leo when he sees him and Nico endures another around of loud hello's.

"You're finally 18, huh," comes Percy's voice as he claps Nico on the back, and still, after all this time, Nico's breath still catches when he sees him. 

They've built and rebuilt a lot of bridges between them, to the point where Nico's willing to babysit with him. If a screaming baby doesn't bring two people together, he doesn't know what does. Percy did all the initial work, and once Nico stopped pulling away and pushing Percy just to see how far he'd go, it was simple. They fell into something as easy as breathing, and Nico has to admit that he kind of likes it.

The fact that there's this initial pull in his stomach, and flutter in his chest that he thinks won't ever go away doesn't bother him as much as it used to. 

"That's right," Nico says. "Old enough to vote, buy lottery tickets, and not much else."

"Soon," Percy says with a laugh. Nico watches as the corner of his eyes crinkle ever so slightly, and watches as the left side of his mouth quirks up just a touch more than his right.

Frank appears with Reyna and Piper. They all greet him, but Reyna is the only one that gets a hug out of Nico. Like he said: touch is reserved for special people only. 

"Happy Birthday," Reyna says, quietly by his ear. 

Nico grins, something he's getting used to doing more and more recently, and gives her a squeeze. "Thank you."

They part and suddenly Leo's in his face saying, "When are you going to open your presents, man?"

Nico blinks dumbly. "Presents?"

"Yeah," Annabeth says, coming over with Hazel and Jason. "Birthdays mean presents."

"Oh. Um," Nico goes, flushing awkwardly now that all eyes are on him. "I just got here. Presents usually come last, don't they?"

"It's his birthday!" Hazel says, noticing his discomfort, and Nico thanks all the gods for her. "If he doesn't want presents now then they can wait." She grabs Frank's hand and drags him over towards where Percy's (or more likely Leo's) got the music set up and quickly changes the song to something with a quick beat. "I want to dance!"

"Yeah!" Leo cries. He reaches for Pipers hand, but Annabeth beats him to it. "Hey!"

"Gotta be faster than that, Leo!" Annabeth says with a bright laugh. As she pulls Piper towards the open space in the middle of the living room Piper grabs Reyna's hand. With a dramatic roll of her eyes Reyna allows herself to be taken to dance. 

Leo, still spluttering that all the girls were just whisked away from him grabs Jason's hand and goes, "You're stuck with me now!"

Nico snickers darkly under his breath at the turn of events and at Jason's awkward attempt at dancing, but realizes that it's just him and Percy standing off to the sidelines. He doesn't know what comes over him but he's suddenly taken huge interest in his socks. His shoulders feel tight and he doesn't know what to do with his hands. He hasn't felt this awkward around Percy since he was fourteen and hopelessly in love with him. 

"You aren't going to ask me to dance?" Percy asks.

"It's my birthday," Nico reminds him. "Shouldn't you be asking me?"

To Percy's credit he doesn't miss a beat and bows like he's out of a period drama. "Would you do me the honour of dancing with me?"

Nico doesn't really want to, not because he has anything against Percy, but because he has everything against dancing. Still, it _is_ his birthday and his friends were nice enough to throw a party for him.

A little reluctantly, Nico rolls his eyes and decides to play along. "Why I thought you'd never ask!"

Percy's grin is instant and wicked sharp. Nico can see the mischief in his eyes, so it shouldn't be as much of a surprise as it is when Percy grabs his hand to lead him to the make-shift dance floor. 

The music has an easy beat to dance to, and Nico should have the hang of this, but he still can't figure out what to do with his arms. He flushes when Percy takes both his hands in his. It feels intimate somehow. He isn't sure what to make of it.

"Come on, Nico," Percy says loud enough that he can be heard, but soft enough that it's only Nico who can hear him. "Relax; loosen up. It's just me." Percy pulls Nico's hands with him back and forth as he dances, encouraging Nico to follow his lead. 

Nico protests at first because of course he does, but he figures out what to do. He "loosens up" as Percy puts it. Part of him is expecting Percy to let go of him once he gets the hang of it, but he doesn't. Percy holds his hand tight enough that it's clear he wants to be holding them, but loose enough that Nico could pull away if he really wanted to.

If he wanted to, he'd ask Percy why he said that its just _him_. If he wanted to, he'd note that Percy has always been special to him. Percy has always been different. The fact that it's _him_ makes his heart pick up into a gallop and is the whole reason why he was finding it hard to relax in the first place. He'd note all of these. If he wanted to.

But it's easier not to think about it. Its easier to fall into this warm and hazy moment where it's just them dancing. They dance this easy back and forth, push and pull. Percy's still got more inches on Nico in height than Nico wants to admit that he has, and hands that are big, and warm in his. Nico finds himself grinning, just a little, and his heart swells when he sees how it makes Percy smile.

He's never liked dancing, he's never liked birthday parties, but this is something he could get used to. It feels like they've been moving towards this for a long, long time.

Then the song changes, and someone (probably Leo) cries out, "Partner switch!"

In a whirlwind of movement Nico finds himself partnered with Piper, and while he likes her and thinks she's nice and everything, he's thankful she doesn't touch him. 

"So," she goes, smiling, "how is 18 feeling on you?"

"Feels about the same as 17 did," Nico says honestly.

In the years that he's known her, not much has changed. It isn't a bad thing. Her hair is still choppy because she cuts it herself, and all her clothes are one of a kind because she's still against whatever the mainstream says is cool. But she is slowly admitting that she doesn't hate being a child of Aphrodite so much anymore, and that's something Nico can appreciate.

"Do you have any plans?" she asks.

"What do you mean?"

Piper shrugs, and moves out of the way of Leo and Hazel careening around the room in a far too enthusiastic dance. "A lot of people have things they want to do before their next birthday."

"What do you want to do?" Nico counters.

"I said I'd get back into the dating scene."

"Oh," Nico says because he isn't sure of what else to say. It's tough when your friends break up because they're hurting, and you want to comfort them without seeming like you're picking one over the other. Thankfully Jason and Piper never went through that, nor did Percy and Annabeth, but it's still a touchy subject. So, he looks away awkwardly and hopes the next song comes on soon. When he glances back at Piper she's grinning like she knows something, and when he looks away this time, he doesn't look back.

Nico doesn't like how he feels awkward again. He reminds himself that these are his friends and that it's his birthday. As much as he didn't want a birthday party, as much as he doesn't like what his birthday reminds him of, he'd hate for it to be ruined because he's got his boxers in a twist or something.

Old habits are hard to shake.

Nico dances until he's had one dance with everyone. He dances with Hazel and Reyna twice, but never manages to snag Percy again. Eventually he has to bow out and sit down. He watches as Reyna laughs at something Frank says, and he watches as Leo has Piper dip him. He likes seeing them all have a good time. After all they've been through, they deserve it, he thinks. 

"Hey," comes Jason's voice as he sits down next to Nico. "Want a drink?"

"Offering booze to a minor, Grace?" Nico asks, mock offended, and taking the bottle from Jason all the same. "I can't believe it."

"You're not a minor anymore."

"But not old enough to drink, apparently."

"I won't tell if you won't."

"I'll think about it." Nico takes a drink and immediately regrets it when he gets a taste of it. He makes a face while he all but does a spit-take. He hears Jason laugh beside him. "Ugh! It's not funny, Jason!"

"A little bit," Jason says, a laugh still in his voice as he takes the bottle back.

"I thought you had something good," Nico says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "not cold piss."

This time it's Jason's turn to be the offended one. "Oh my. Such language."

"Yeah, and you better get _fucking_ used to it. I'm an adult now." Nico lifts his chin high and grins. Jason laughs.

The fall into a comfortable silence. He's lucky, he thinks, that he's found someone he can just have quiet with. There's no pressure to always be talking, or to even be doing anything. For all the shit he's been through, for how unbelievably unlucky he can be, Nico thinks he's lucky to have have let Jason become his friend.

"Percy was really looking forward to this," Jason muses.

"Sounds like everyone was except for me," Nico comments before his brain can catch up to the important bit of that sentence. "Wait," he goes, fixing Jason with a hard look. "What is it with you guys today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb," Nico goes with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "Things feel, I don't know, _different_!"

"That's what being an adult feels like," Jason says with a laugh. 

Nico shoves him. It's a playful shove, but he still does it. "You know what I mean! Even Piper gave me a look earlier."

"A look," Jason repeats flatly.

"Yeah. _A look_. Are you two in cahoots?"

Jason nearly chokes on his mouthful of beer before letting out a hard laugh. "Cahoots?"

"Jason!"

"No, no," Jason says waving his hand as he tries to control his laughter. "We're not in cahoots. We haven't been in cahoots for years."

"Gross."

"Really, Nico," Jason says gently, in that way that he does when he's trying to let Nico know he's serious. "Nothing's up. We all just might have a little more alcohol in us than you do."

Jason has never lied to him, not once. Nico's thankful even if Jason really doesn't have to be truthful about everything because the poor guy isn't allowed in on surprise birthday party secrets anymore. So, a little reluctantly Nico accepts that maybe he's the one feeling weird an awkward about today being his 92nd birthday and all.

Eventually Reyna comes over to sit with them because her feet hurt. Partly, she says from dancing, and partly because her toes kept getting stepped on by someone -- she all but shouts the last bit towards Leo. Leo just laughs and shouts back a promise of a drink later, to which she rolls her eyes at.

"Having fun?" Nico asks. 

"Much," she replies, throwing her feet up so that they lay over Nico's lap. "And you?"

Nico hums and gives a noncommittal nod. He is having fun, really. He wouldn't say he's having the time of his life, or anything, but he's not ready to leave, which is the most any of them could really ask for. It's his version of fun, which is what matters.

"You looked like you were having a lot of fun with Annabeth," Jason comments.

Reyna, true to form, doesn't blush. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have no intentions with her."

Jason leans around Nico, and offers Reyna a sip of his beer as well. "I didn't say anything about _intentions_."

Reyna takes the bottle from him and knocks her foot into his stomach earning an "Oof," from him.

"I don't know why you'd want to drink that," Nico says.

"You don't drink it for the taste," Reyna tells him.

Nico wrinkles his nose anyway.

Jason and Reyna keep talking, passing the beer bottle back and forth between them. Nico doesn't pay much attention because honestly? He's happy here just like this, sandwiched between them. He's always been more of an observer than a participant and that's just fine by him.

"Uh, Percy?" Frank calls from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Percy calls back.

"Leo found your booze!"

"Wait," goes Piper loudly, "you had more than what you told us?"

"I wasn't going to give you guys all of it!"

"Annabeth, listen, I found a new drink you have got to try," Piper says, dragging her towards the kitchen with a complaining Percy behind them.

Which is when the party quickly derails. Leo becomes the mixologist of the night and makes everyone their drink of choice. Nico politely declines because taste or not he doesn't feel like drinking fire. He's done that once already and that was more than enough. Though he realizes while it's Percy's apartment Leo's really been one of the ones making sure everyone has been having a good time for him. 

Nico makes a mental note to thank him when he has the chance.

Soon everyone has had more than a couple drinks in them and Nico finds himself surrounded by a bunch of happy drunks, laughing and smiling. Annabeth tells the story of the time Percy was turned into a guinea pig, and in retaliation Percy tells everyone about the time Annabeth nearly judo flipped his mom. Everyone loves Percy's mom because, hey, she's great and Nico loves her too, so it get's a good rise out of everyone.

Leo tells a story that has Hazel fanning herself, and makes Nico consider doing the same. Frank tells a story that involves Mythomagic, and Nico cuts in to ask about rare cards because he can't help himself. Jason and Reyna tell stories about being praetor the sound more like they once worked a job in retail hell which everyone enjoys. 

Nico offers up the story of when he was turned into a dandelion by Persephone, which makes Percy jump in with an "I remember that!" and Frank with a, "What is with you being turned into plants?", to which Nico replies, "The hell if I know."

Hazel, in retaliation to Leo's story, has an embrassing one about his grandfather Sammy. And Piper tells a story about all the chaos that goes on behind making a movie.

The night continues like that until it can really only be described as stupid o'clock and everyone is no less than absolutely smashed. 

Hazel is the first to go because she needs to take Frank home. She's got her coat on by the door telling Nico she'll come back because there's no way she's missing his birthday, but Nico assures her it's fine because it is. She wants to stay and that's all that really matters. Annabeth goes next with Piper and Reyna. They're apologetic as well, but Nico's just happy they cared enough to be there in the first place. Then Leo has to be escorted home by Jason and Nico makes the mistake of giving Leo his thanks for making sure everyone had a good time because it prompts Leo to start singing into the night.

"I'd ask if you're going to leave now," Nico says, shutting the door behind a singing Leo, "but it's your apartment."

Percy laughs from somewhere behind him. "But you're leaving, I take it?"

"No," Nico says, taking a look around the apartment. It's a mess. It might be his birthday, but that doesn't give him reason to be a bad house guest. "I'll help you clean up first."

Percy looks like he's about to argue, but his mouth clicks shut. He opts for something else. "I'll get a garbage bag."

Nico just grins.

Together they dump the red solo cups into the bag, and wipe down the counters. They sweep the floors and throw out the garbage. Nico shouldn't be shooting as many sneaky glances Percy's direction as he is, but he can't help himself. There's this comfortable silence between them, save for the rustling of the garbage bags, and it feels domestic. It feels homey. It feels nice. 

"Oh," Percy goes while he's over by the fridge.

"What is it?" Nico asks while he clips a bag of chips shut.

"We forgot about the cake and presents."

"S'okay," Nico says. "It's a not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Of course it's a big deal, dude," Percy says walking over with the cake dome in hand. "It's your birthday! You at least have to have some cake!"

Nico turns to look at Percy, which is a mistake. Percy is actually _pouting_ and damn it all if Nico isn't easily suckered in by it. He can't disappoint Percy, not even in this. 

Any argument he had against cake dies in his throat and instead he says, "After we finish cleaning up."

Clean-up doesn't take much longer. Once they're done Percy insists that Nico sit on the couch while he gets everything ready. He can hear Percy clanking around as he gets the cake together and hears the familiar pop of a drink being opened. 

"Happy Birthday, Nico," Percy singsongs as he comes around the right side of the couch with the cake, a can of pop balanced on a plate, and a bunch of bags hooked around his other arm. 

The cake is chocolate, has a singular candle sticking out the top, and has Percy's sloppy attempt of a smily face in his signature blue icing decorating it and most of the plate. It reminds Nico of when he was thirteen and about to tell Percy of his crazy plan to give him Achilles's Curse because he thought it would make Percy notice him. 

Nico's throat closes up as he remembers another birthday. He remembers that Percy's cake was blue because of course it was, and how he was out on the balcony of his old apartment, and how the wind was warm and oddly sweet for being an August night in the middle of Manhattan. Nico remembers being cold and hungry after being out on the streets for longer than any thirteen year old should be. He remembers being surprised at how warm Percy's apartment was and how welcoming Sally had been.

It's a bittersweet sort of memory that he holds dear to him. That had been a hard time for him at that point in his life, but Percy taking him in that day had been the best day of his life in a long, long time.

"Nico?"

Nico blinks. "Sorry. Sorry, uh, it's nothing. This is perfect, Percy, thank you." He can see that Percy doesn't believe him, and can he see that Percy's remembering something long forgotten, too.

"You gotta make a wish," Percy says.

Nico nods. He closes his eyes. He makes a wish. He blows out the candle.

"What'd you wish for?" Percy asks.

"If I tell you it won't come true," Nico says. 

Percy pouts, but doesn't press. "Well," he says instead, "this cake isn't going to eat itself." He produces two forks and in a couple of bites each they polish off the slice of cake. Nico doesn't let himself think about the implications.

"And you know what comes after cake?" Percy asks like its some big surprise. 

"Presents?" Nico pretends to guess. "But shouldn't I wait?"

Percy hauls the gifts up onto the couch and into the space between them. "Wait for what? It's your birthday and these are for you."

Slowly Nico opens his gifts and reads the cards to Percy. He gets mitts and a hat from Jason because the guy is more motherly than he ever wants to admit to. Hazel and Frank get him a couple decks of Mythomagic cards and Nico wonders what lengths they went through to get him such good cards. Leo gets him pirated copies of a pirate movie because, as his card said, it wouldn't have fit the theme if he'd actually bought them. Reyna gets him some polish for his sword which is the most fitting thing he could image from her. Piper has made him a shirt that's been handmade by her which features skeleton pirates and lyrics from a song he's never heard of before but decides he really needs to check out. 

Annabeth and Percy's gifts are different. Annabeth's gift is a history book. Percy's got him some of his favourite albums on vinyl. They're well-meaning, well-thought-out, perfect gifts that he might have picked up himself, but on his birthday it's just a reminder of things he's been trying not to think about.

"They're perfect," Nico whispers, feeling touched and a little upset at the same time. "I need to tell them thank you."

"But…?"

"But?" Nico asks.

"There's a 'but' here somewhere, bro. I can see it in your eyes. Something has been bugging you all night."

Nico swallows and has to remind himself Percy's always been more observant that he lets on. He has to remind himself that things aren't like they were four years ago. "But…," he begins, and the word drags on, "I don't belong here."

Percy doesn't jump down his throat about it, which Nico is thankful for. He just leans back against the couch and looks at him. Nico notices that their thighs are touching, and that Percy is really, really close.

He hasn't let himself really think about it in a long time, but its a surprise to absolutely no one that he's still head over heels for this boy. Nico has had boyfriends before, but they never worked out. In the end he always came back to Percy. He might not be the hero Nico once thought he was, but that hasn't kept him from being something special anyway. 

Sometimes, because of moments like this where they're just close and quiet and they're not making a big deal out of it; moments like earlier when they were dancing in a way that made him unsure if he was reading things right or just had his head full of wishful thoughts, Nico entertains the idea of Percy liking him back.

"What do you mean you don't belong?" Percy asks.

"I mean I don't belong," Nico says. Maybe it's because he's sort of exhausted from all the dancing and birthday shenanigans, or maybe he's just out of his mind, but he leans into Percy. He lets himself settle against Percy's side and says, "I turn 92 today, Percy, not 18."

Percy laughs out this breathless laugh that makes Nico bristle for a moment before Percy makes up for it saying, "You belong, Nico."

He says it so easily, like it just fact. He belongs. Nico wants to believe him, he does. But isn't never been that easy, has it? He's always had something about him that makes him different. Doubt and self-hatred are old friends of his that he's never been able to completely shake.

"Nico," Percy says in a way that different than before. It's gentle, quiet and low. There's an arm around his shoulder and a hand on his thigh. Not anywhere dangerous, and not resting on his knee. "You're wanted by a lot of people. By me. You belong."

Nico huffs out a breath. "You want me, do you?" It's supposed to be teasing and light, but it comes out sounding more self-depreciating than it should be.

"Yeah, "Percy says, not thinking twice about it. "I want you." 

Maybe it's because he's not thinking twice about it that both fills Nico with hope, and make him feel like this means nothing at all.

"We should hang out," Percy says, looking away and scratching the side of nose awkwardly. The hand on Nico's thigh tightens just a hair. 

"Um, okay?" Nico says. It's sort of a change of topic, but Nico can't blame him for not wanting to talk about it. Who wants to listen to someone beat themselves up about the same shit that its always been for the past four years? Nobody. "When did you haven in mind?"

"I, uh, was thinking maybe February 14th would be a good day."

"Sure," Nico says easily before his brain catches up. "Actually, Percy that's Valentines Day. And kind of far away, isn't it?"

Percy looks at him. His expression is serious, and almost unreadable because of it. "I know. That's the point."

Nico flushes despite himself. It shouldn't be so easy for him to get his hopes up but it is, and up, up, up they go.

"Are you…?" He doesn't dare say it. He doesn't dare say something stupid and ruin the moment. 

"Yeah. I'm, uh, asking you out." Percy's got is own blush dancing across his cheeks and if it isn't the most beautiful thing Nico's ever thing, then he doesn't know what is. "You don't have to say yes, maybe I'm too old for you --" 

Nico laughs, loud, but Percy keeps talking, "-- but listen, Nico. You're a great guy, okay? You say you don't belong, but you do. I don't know how to explain it to you. You've saved us all countless times, and maybe you were born in the 30's but you've been living here, with us, for just as long now. I, uh, know, too, that me saying this won't make you believe it right away; you've kind of been through hell. But I want you to know that if you don't believe it, I do."

"Oh my gods, Percy," Nico says. He's smiling, and his throat feel thick again in a different way than it did only minutes ago, and he feels like he's got tears in his eyes.

"What?" Percy asks, looking almost afraid of rejection. But how could Nico reject him? It isn't conceivable.

"You're ridiculous."

"Maybe. But you like me anyway, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Nico says breathlessly, and he wants to kiss Percy he really does, but what was that about doubt and self-hatred being old friends? "I just want to know why."

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Why do you like me? Why now?" Nico presses. 

Percy looks like he's not expecting Nico to ask one moment, but in the next totally understands. "Well, for one thing I've liked you for a while. So it's not just out of nowhere, okay? You finally started to let me in and once I finally got to see you, the real you, I couldn't look away, y'know?" Percy rubs the back of his neck. "And why now? I guess because I've been thinking about kissing you all night, and because it's your birthday, and because I've never had good timing."

"Your timing is great," Nico tells him. He's nervous and scared and his fourteen year old self wouldn't have agreed to this so quickly, but he's not fourteen anymore. He's eighteen. He's grown and changed over the years in a lot of ways, and one of them is that he's willing to take this chance. He's going to jump off this metaphorical edge and trust Percy to catch him when he lands.

"Oh good, I'm glad," Percy says, and its clear he's just as nervous about this as Nico is.

Nico leans in. "Kiss me?"

Percy grins. He leans in to meet Nico half way and there was a time where Nico thought Percy would be his first kiss. He isn't, but that's okay. There was a time where Nico thought that when he kissed Percy it'd be something out of a romance movie with fireworks and people cheering or something because he was twelve. It's not like that, and that's okay. 

It's funny how that is, how things are okay. They're not all okay. Nothing will ever be all okay, but he has friends, he's alright with the fact that he likes boys, and he's learning how to smile again. Birthdays still aren't his favourite and he's not convinced that he belongs, but this might be a start.

Percy kisses him and it feels like finally.

**Author's Note:**

> i swear to god bittersweet is getting written i only have like 4k left to write for the next installment


End file.
